Counterstrike
by TheBastard
Summary: This summary sucks.
1. Attack

Prologue:  
  
It has been one year since the defeat of Mizar. Vela, Juno, and Lupus have enjoyed a brief vacation, but it's over now. A new general has seized power, and the Spawnship is still mass-producing drones. If it is not destroyed, all of Jet Force Gemini's efforts will have been in vain. The new target is the Spawnship: it must be neutralized at all costs. Gemini Team, along with the help of the Taurus and Leo Teams, are launching an all out offensive on the ship. With the help of Barry, they will attempt to destroy it once and for all. But if they fail…  
  
  
The Gemini team was nearing the target. The gargantuan Spawnship loomed before them, and they were ready to begin their assault.  
  
Juno leaned towards the intercom.  
  
"Nova? This is Juno."  
  
"Nova here," came the voice over the intercom.   
  
He was the leader of Jet Force Leo, and was renowned for his skills in battle. In short, he was someone you did not want to meet in a dark alley. He and his team were usually regarded to be the most dangerous of all the Special Forces. They were one of the few not exterminated by Mizar's offensive. The standings had changed after Gemini team single-handedly defeated Mizar and saved earth.  
  
"Nova, we have reached the edge of the Spawnship's sensors. We'll be continuing in our individual ships from this point forward."  
  
"Roger, Juno. We'll launch our rear assault when you guys are safe inside."  
  
"Got it, Nova. Over and out."  
  
Well, that was 2/3 of the force. Next was Taurus. The Taurus team had, for a long time, been regarded as the weakest of the Special Forces, much the opposite of Leo. It was a wonder they had survived Mizar at all. Their leader, Flare, was quite an unsavory character. No one wanted to meet him period.  
  
"Flare? Juno here."  
  
"This is Flare. Go ahead, Juno."  
  
"We are beginning the attack. Back us up once we're inside."  
  
"Got it, Juno. Good Luck."  
  
Well, thought Juno, It's now or never.   
  
"Vela, Lupus, head to the docking bay, we're ready to launch."  
  
Lupus barked his understanding, and Vela nodded. They headed down the halls to the transporters. Their bodies were zapped into their ships, and they pulled out of the bay. The ships were too small to be picked up by the sensors, so they moved in toward the port on the underside of the Spawnship.  
  
Lupus looked around him once they had reached it. He had been here once before when they had fought Mizar, and wasn't looking forward to the return trip.  
  
Juno tapped a button on the side of his helmet.   
  
"Barry?" he whispered. "Come in Barry." The radio was on a sub-ether frequency, so nobody could hope to pick it up but Barry. Of course, the things were quite expensive, but necessary for this mission.  
  
"I'm here, Juno," said Barry. Barry was the original Mizar, the tyrant who enslaved the Tribals and attempted to destroy earth. They had discovered Barry when they destroyed "Mizar." Barry, now reformed, tried to help in any way he could. He knew everything about the Spawnship, since he had designed it.  
  
"Barry, we're in the ship."  
  
"Alright, Juno, I'm sending the maps now."  
  
A map of the ship appeared on Juno's visor, which doubled as a computer.   
  
"Alright, guys, let's head for the core." He flipped a switch on his helmet.  
  
"Nova?"  
  
"Nova here."  
  
"We're in the ship. Proceed to rear."  
  
"Got it, Juno. I hope we can pull this off."  
  
"That makes two of us."  
  
The team pulled out their guns and headed down the dark corridors of the Spawnship. Around every corner they were prepared to meet drones, but the team was surprised to find that their were none. No guards or anything.  
  
"I've got a bad feeling about this," Vela said, turning to her brother.  
  
"Me too, Vela. I'm going to call Nova." He flipped his radio on. "Nova? There's something wrong here."  
  
"I know Juno. There's no drones anywhere. Gives me the feeling we're walking into a trap."  
  
"Keep the line open. I'm going to call Taurus." He changed frequencies again. "Flare?" No answer. "Come in Flare." Still no answer. "Dammit, Flare, what are you doing?!" He changed to Nova's frequency.  
  
"Nova? We've got a serious problem. Flare won't answer my calls."  
  
"I say we pull out before… holy crap, what is that?"  
  
"Nova? What's what?" His calls were met with screams. He switched the radio off before his ears split.  
  
"Vela, Lupus, we've got trouble. Leo's being attacked. We have to go help them go help them, and then get the heck out of here."  
  
"Got it, Juno." The twins heard Lupus begin to whine from further down the hall.  
  
"What is it, boy?" asked Vela. "Lupus?" They approached the dog's position, and saw the drones heading fast down the hall towards them.  
  
Juno whipped out his machine gun and let them have it, but they didn't stop. Lupus and Vela joined the fray. It was close combat, so the team had the advantage, but they were guessing that there were more drones than they had ammo.  
  
"Vela!" yelled Juno over the sounds of battle. "Get out of here! Go save Nova's team!"  
  
"But you guys-" she was cut off by Juno.  
  
"We'll be fine! Right, Lupus?" The dog barked loudly.  
  
"Alright! But I still don't like this!" With that, she took off down the corridors. She heard the blast of Juno's tri-rockets as she retreated.   
  
Upon reaching the hallway that led to the rear, she found it was locked. The bugs were trying to trap them in. Well, she wasn't having any of that. She looked around, and spotted the air duct above the door. She just hoped the passageways weren't too tight.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Nova wasn't having a very good time. The drones had set upon them from behind, and they weren't ordinary drones. Black ones, nearly invulnerable. Most of his team was dead- it was just him and Cassandra now, and she was to hurt to do anything.  
  
Nova pulled the trigger, and found he was out of ammo. So this is where it all ends, he thought. Never would have guessed. A drone picked him up like he was a doll, and threw him against the wall. Stars were flying around his head, and he saw the drone raise its gun. Then its face exploded.  
  
"What the…?" He wasn't far gone enough to think that was normal. Vela jumped out of an air duct above the locked exit door, her tri-rockets blazing.   
  
"Yeeeeee-haaaaaaaaaa!" she screamed. She made short work of the surprised drones, but there were more coming. He could see why this place needed to be destroyed.   
  
"Let's get out of here!" Vela shouted above the explosions.  
  
"I can't leave without Cassandra!" He yelled back, pointing at the limp body. Vela looked at the duct, and then the door.   
  
"Stand back!" she cried, and let the tri-rockets fly. The door was blown apart by the blast. Nova hefted Cassandra onto his shoulders, and the two ran down the passageways, blasting open doors when need be. As they turned a corner, they ran straight into Juno and Lupus. The two looked a little worse for wear.   
  
Juno's visor was shattered, and there were burns all over his body. The armor was useless now, as most of it had been blown off. Lupus hobbled oddly along, as his left front leg had been injured in the battle.  
  
"Well, at least you're all right," she said. Juno smiled weakly. She hugged her brother, and heard Lupus' whines.   
  
"Sorry, boy," she told him. She leaned down to scratch his ears.   
  
"Hate to break this up," interrupted Nova, "but we've got to go."  
  
They turned to face Nova, who was still holding Cassandra above his shoulders.  
  
"You're right, Nova," Juno said, assuming his position as unofficial leader. "Let's go, Vela."  
  
She was embarrassed to find that she had been staring at Nova. The team rushed off toward the docking bay.   
  
"Slight problem," she said when they reached it. "We have only three ships."  
"Alright," said Juno. "I'll ride with Vela, and Nova can take my ship with Cassandra."  
  
"Do you think that's a good idea?" Vela asked. They turned to face her. "I mean, do you think he can fly our ships all right?"  
  
"Vela, they're stan-" he caught the glint in his sister's eyes, and could see what she wanted. "You may be right. Cassandra can ride with me, and Nova can ride with you."  
  
Vela suppressed a grin.  
  
"Alright," Juno said, once they were strapped in. "Let's get out of here."  



	2. Taurus

Author's Note: The / thing means thoughts. For example, right now I'm thinking, /hehe... peanut butter. Meet Joe Black= genious./ And yes, if you're wondering, I took the idea from Rocket Knight CJ. Which is not to say RKCJ invented it, but what are you gonna do about it? I though so. Oh, and I might have confused Taurus and Leo. I think I caught all the mistakes, sorry if I didn't. Anyway, enjoy, and don't flame me.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Their engines powered up, and they prepared to head back to the ship. Before Juno could open the hatch, the entrance blew open, and drones began pouring out of the gap in the wall. Laser fire danced around their ships, and the tiny vessels were rocked by the impacts of enemy projectiles.  
  
"No choice!" Juno called over the radio. "Gotta blow hatch!" Before anyone could reply, laser blasts lanced out form Juno and Cassandra's ship, slamming into the hatch door. It blew, and there was a sudden rush of wind as the area depressurized. Drones were sucked out into space, as well as the three vehicles. They spun around outside the bay, struggling to regain control.   
  
In Vela and Nova's pod, Juno's sister was firing shots into the bay, blasting apart walls and drones, and generally causing havoc.   
  
Nova was scrunched in tight next to the girl, wondering what had happened back there. Why did they think he couldn't fly the ship? He didn't mind, of course… she was very beautiful… /Stop it!/, he raged at himself. This was no time to be concerned with a pretty face. Why was he losing it now? After years of bloodshed and battle, with never a glance toward the opposite sex, he was fawning over a girl?  
  
But despite his thoughts, he was in a very awkward position. Literally.   
  
Vela couldn't believe her luck, as she piloted the vessel back towards the Gemini ship. She was here with this guy in these tight confines. Heck, she could feel him breathing beside her. It was hard not to fantasize.  
  
Nova cleared his throat. "Are we going to get my ship?"  
  
"To risky," Vela replied, without looking back. "We don't have much time. We'll have to take ours."  
  
As the three vessels docked in the main ship, the body beside Juno began to stir. Blood matted Cassandra's hair, as there was a large gash on her head. Briefly, she opened her eyes and saw Juno looking down at her. She felt a throbbing pain in her skull, and blacked out again.  
  
Juno hefted the limp body out of the pod, nearly tripping on the way out. /At least she's alive/, he thought. Vela and Nova were coming around his left and Lupus from farther down. He handed the body to Nova.  
  
"Take her to the sick bay," He said, before rushing off towards the cockpit. He could hear Vela and Lupus behind him.  
  
Once there, he dropped into his seat. The other two took their places around the area, Vela at the computer and Lupus at the IWD. The Interactive Weapons Display was a high-tech device for viewing the battlefield, and the only station Lupus could operate.   
  
Almost as soon as they got there, a ship appeared in front of them. It was almost identical to the Gemini ship, except for a slightly different color scheme, and the insignia of a bull. It was Jet Force Taurus, coming in at full speed.  
  
"Well, it's about time!" Juno shouted into the radio. "What were you doing?!"  
  
There was no answer. The ship didn't slow, but proceeded at full speed toward the Gemini ship.  
  
"Flare?" No answer. "Flare, what the hell do you think you're doing?! Answer me, Flare!"  
  
A single message was heard in Juno's headset:  
  
"Long live Mizar."  
  
Nova arrived in the cockpit, chest heaving from running all the way.  
  
"What's going on?" He asked.  
  
"Taurus's trying to ram us! We'll both be crushed!"  
  
"Can we evade it?"  
  
"No," came Vela's voice. "The engines aren't even powered up yet. Neither are the weapons."  
  
The four of them stood there, watching through the window as death approached at breakneck speed.  
  
Vela watched, seeing now that her life would end. All this had been in vain. The last of the Jet Force Elite was about to be destroyed. She turned to face Nova. /Well/, she thought, /it's now or never./ She rushed over and began to very thoroughly kiss him.  
  
Juno watched, realizing it had all been a trap. Taurus had been working for Mizar the whole time. The Spawnship had known they were coming. No matter what, they had intended for Jet Force Gemini to be exterminated today. But he saw something. A red light blinking on the control panel. Incoming message. He pressed the button.  
  
"Jet Force Libra here. Thought you might need some help."   
  
"You're damn right we need some help!" Juno practically screamed. "Those bastards are trying to ram us!"  
  
The Jet Force Libra ship flew down to meet Taurus, as if they had come straight from heaven. Laser fire lanced from the ship, cutting holes in Taurus's hull. The ship veered off, rocking madly from the imbalance, but it was too late. Libra had a lock.  
  
"Shall we fire, Juno?" came the voice over the radio.  
  
"Kill them," he answered.  
  
Missiles flew from Libra's underside, slamming into Taurus. An explosion rocked the Gemini ship as Jet Force Taurus exploded.  
  
Juno sat down hard, his legs collapsing. Lupus began to bark with joy. Vela looked at Nova, quite obviously embarrassed.   
  
"Err… sorry about that," she told him. "It was the… heat of the moment."  
  
"Heat of the moment my ass," he said, and began to kiss her again.  
  
"We owe you one, Libra," Juno said into the headset.  
  
"Think nothing of it. I'm sure you'll find a way to pay us back."  
  
Juno groaned at that. Outside the window, he could still see the Spawnship. Juno sat up, preparing for battle, when the ship began to glow.  
  
"It's going into warp!" He called over the radio.  
  
"We're tracking!" Libra yelled back. The ship accelerated, and disappeared in a flash of light.  
  
"Wear did they go?" Juno shouted.  
  
"They're headed toward Sector 7. Specifically, Goldwood."  
  
Juno groaned again.  



	3. Goldwood

The two ships came out of warp at almost the same moment, one baring the insignia of the twins, and the other's with a pair of scales. Gemini and Libra.  
  
Libra's leader was Castor. He was renowned as one of the best pilots ever to graduate the academy. He had completed the Rith Essa Cliff Run in 1 minute 12 seconds, the fastest time ever. The Cliff Run, or Devil's Run as some called it, was the most dangerous run that was officially recognized. One of the reasons he'd made the time was because he was one of the only people crazy enough to try it.  
  
"Alright, Juno," he said over the radio. "What now?"  
  
They all turned to Juno, though there were three team leaders in the little group.  
  
"Well, the Spawnship probably won't set down. They'll stay in space and send some drones down to torment the Tribals. My plan is to come around the dark side and fly in low. I just want to know why they came here."  
  
The question was troubling everyone. What could the drones hope to accomplish by enslaving the Tribals again? Mizar was gone, and so were Barry's deranged ideas.  
  
"Sounds good, Juno. Let's go."  
  
Libra flew off, spinning erratically as Castor showed off his skills. Gemini followed as best they could, vainly attempting to copy Libra's course. They came in near the Ice Forest in the Northern Hemisphere of Goldwood. There was no time to enjoy the scenery as they came in low towards the main residential area of the forest world.   
  
"Castor!" Juno called over the intercom. "We've got something on our tail!"  
  
"What is it?" he asked. Despite flying so low to the forest, he still managed to look good doing it.  
  
"Some sort of ship- nothing I recognize. But Vela says she thinks it's a Drone ship."  
  
"Damn! I'll set down right over there, Juno."  
  
"Be careful, Castor. Don't get cocky."  
  
"Me? Cocky? What gives you that idea?"  
  
Castor slowed the ship, moving towards an area only sparsely populated by foliage. Suddenly, before anyone knew what was happening, the Drone ship rocketed past Gemini, and began blasting madly at Libra.  
  
"What the…" Juno said in awe. "Those ships shouldn't be able to do that!"   
  
Libra caught a blow on the rear, and jerked up and down from the impact. The ship spun on it's side, and slammed into the trees. Juno took action immediately. Juno had a lock on the Drone ship, but before he could fire, the thing spun clear out of the way.  
  
"What's wrong with that thing?!" he yelled. "How did it get so fast?"  
  
Lupus growled from the IWD.  
  
"Ready boy?"  
  
He barked affirmatively.  
  
"Then lets get this thing!"  
  
As the IWD powered up, Lupus was surrounded by a glow. The area of forest appeared around him, making it seem as though he were floating out there. He could see the Drone ship flying around madly, firing wildly at the ship. His view jerked upward as Juno flew out of the trees. There was a beep as the IWD became fully powered up. Lupus' aiming site appeared, and he began his assault on the enemy.  
  
The Drone ship came around behind them, but Lupus could still see. He swiveled the site around towards the ship. As the Drone ship began to fire, the site glowed red as it targeted the enemy. Lupus fired, but the ship danced out of the way. The small vessel didn't have powerful weapons, but it was fast. Lupus kept an eye on the shield gauge, which was down to 75%. Lupus spun the site, lasers going the whole time. He managed to hit the ship a few times before it escaped again. The Gemini ship was rocked as enemy lasers impacted on it. The dog was done playing nice. Shields were at 60%. Lupus chased the ship around, finally holding the site long enough to get a lock. He let homing missiles fly- they slammed into the smaller ship, which crashed into the ground.  
  
Lupus barked out his victory howl as the IWD disappeared around him.  
  
"Nice job, boy!" Vela said, running over to scratch his ears.   
  
"I'm gonna set down, and we can see what this is about."  
  
Gemini came down halfway between the two downed vehicles. The four active members stepped out.  
  
"Alright, you two," Juno said, pointing to Vela and Nova, "Go see how Libra is. Lupus?" The dog barked. "Come with me. We'll see what the deal was with that Drone ship."  
  
The teams set off in opposite directions, each heading for one of the downed crafts.  
  
Vela and Nova reached Libra's ship unmolested. The ship lay on its side, and fortunately for them, the door was on the up-side. They climbed to the top and pried it open. All the lights were off inside, so Vela flipped on her flashlight. The pair crawled through the wreckage, finally reaching the cockpit. Castor was attempting to stand up and find his way through the darkened area.   
  
"You're all right!" Nova said, as they rushed forward to help him up. As Vela shined the light around, they found that the same didn't go for the rest of the crew.  
  
"We'd better get these guys out of here," Vela said, hefting one of the bodies over her shoulder. "Can you move alright, Castor?"   
  
"I'm fine." He looked around. "If you guys can handle it, I'm gonna stay here and try to restore power to the ship."  
  
  
Meanwhile, Juno and Lupus had reached the downed Drone Ship. As they looked inside, they realized it was empty of life. Juno jumped back, gun raised.   
  
"Lupus, head to the left. I'll go right." Lupus barked softly.  
  
Juno began to trek to the right, walking through the dense foliage until he reached a clearing. He took a few cautious steps into it, but stopped when he heard the faint sound of footsteps. He leapt to the side and rolled around, turning to face whoever it was. Juno came Pistol raised, and met a familiar face.  
  
"Well, Juno," Flare said. "We meet again."  
  
Juno's gun dropped to his side. Flare's face was scratched and bloody from the crash. There was a large gash in his left arm, but he was otherwise unhurt.   
  
"But you're dead. How can you be here?"  
  
"Did you think I was actually stupid enough to ram you? I wasn't on the ship. And you failed to even notice that a tiny drone ship followed you all the way here. But, it doesn't matter. Now you die."  
  
Flare raised his machine gun and squeezed the trigger. Juno leapt once more as fire littered the ground. Juno took shelter behind a large rock. The gunfire stopped.  
  
"Come out Juno. You're trapped."  
  
Juno could see that perfectly well, but he wasn't planning on giving up. He pulled out his homing missile launcher. All he needed was one good shot. The next thing happened in slow motion.  
  
Time stretched as Juno leapt out from behind the rock. He Flare's gun begin to spit fire at him, the bullets barely missing his body as he rolled through the air, missile launcher pointed at Flare's chest. /Just a lock is all I need… come on!/ The gun beeped. A shot hit Juno's shoulder. He squeezed the trigger. Time snapped back to normal.  
  
The shot flew wild, but Flare still jumped away. Juno hit the ground at an awkward angle, and the wind was knocked from his chest. He felt a burning pain in his shoulder. Flare recovered and raised his gun.   
  
"Nice try Juno, but in vain, of course." From where he lay on the ground, Juno began to laugh. "What's so funny?"  
  
Flare had no time to react as the rocket slammed into his back, exploding upon impact. Juno stood up, and limped over to the body. He kicked it right side up, and saw his enemy's eyes glazed over with death.  
  
"Idiot," he said, and began to head back towards the Drone Ship.  
  
He was about halfway back when he heard footsteps. He stopped, and listened. As he began to turn, something large and heavy attached itself to his back and wrapped its legs around his midsection. He reached behind him and felt hands gripping his shoulders. He grabbed the hands and pulled them up and forward. The objects legs slid free, and Juno swung his would-be attacker onto the ground in front of him.  
  
It was a woman, unarmed, but clearly dangerous. Juno raised his gun to her face, and she stopped moving.  
  
"I'm not the only one that survived the crash," she said, smiling. "Flare did too. He still has his guns. He'll come and kill you."  
  
"Flare's dead," Juno said coldly. The woman stopped smiling.   
  
"How do you know?" she asked.  
  
"Because I killed him. I want you to tell me what the Spawnship is doing here."  
  
"You bastard!" she shouted She began to move, and Juno fired into the ground near her head. It left a smoking hole. She stopped. "You killed him you bastard!" She began to sob.  
  
"I killed him because I had no other choice. I'll do the same to you if you don't tell me what I want to know."  
  
The woman continued sobbing, but she attempted to speak.  
  
"I don't know. I don't… the Drones. They keep talking about a Tribal sacrifice. A… a royal sacrifice. To bring back Mizar. Flare said they were full of it, that it wasn't the real reason… I don't know."  
  
Juno sighed, and lowered his gun.  
  
"If you don't walk, I'm going to have to drag you."  
  
The woman slowly stood up, and Juno began to lead her back through the woods. A royal sacrifice? It didn't make sense. What would killing Jeff have to do with anything? His train of thought was interrupted by barking.  
  
"Lupus! Over here!" he called. The dog came barreling out of the bushes. He took one look at the prisoner, and began to growl. He walked up beside her as if standing guard. The three began to head back toward the ship.  
  
Juno's thoughts drifted back tot he previous topic. Why did they want to kill Jeff? Surely they didn't actually think killing him would bring Mizar back. How would they have gotten such an idea? Someone gave them the idea, he thought. But who? Could it have been something Barry told them before he was defeated? As a means of revenge in case of his death? But he wasn't dead. He didn't want to kill the Tribals anyway. Suddenly, it hit Juno. Not a means of revenge. A failsafe. Barry had royal blood. He could pretend to sacrifice himself nobly, and then…  
  
And then become Mizar again.  
  
  
  



	4. Barry

  
A new chapter from. me. I never said this before, but I suppose I'd better. JFG, Lupus, Juno, Vela, and everything else belong to Rare. Nova belongs to me. I have no problem with you using him if you ask me first, though. Enjoy.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Take her to Vela!" Juno yelled to his dog, suddenly bursting away from the group.   
  
There was no time to explain, and he had to do something fast. Time was against him. There was no time. There was just him. He ran, nearing the Tribal Village with each wide stride. /Almost there,/ he thought. His lungs were burning. He could still faintly here Lupus' confused whining from behind him. He couldn't think about that. He had to stop Barry.  
  
Suddenly, he burst out of the dense foliage. There below him was the main Tribal village. He couldn't pronounce the name, as it was in native Tribal tongue, although he gathered it meant something along the lines of "place of peace." Not anymore, it wasn't.  
  
He dropped to his belly. From his perch atop the cliff he could see everything. There were… 3… 4… 5 Drone ships. One larger than the others- it must have been the lead ship. Everything was still. No Tribals moved. Drones were all around the village, aiming weapons at the Tribals' furry heads. And in the middle of it all, he saw a strangely deserted area. He knew it to be Jeff and Barry's hut. He also had a good idea about what was going on inside.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"But Jeff," Barry was saying. "Goldwood needs you. Me, I'm a criminal. You've been too good to me brother. Let me repay the debt."  
  
Jeff sighed. He stared into the glowing flames. Barry wanted to do something good? He didn't know. But he knew that he could not let Barry sacrifice himself. He could see faintly into the future, and he could see that bad things would come if he let Barry. Very bad things. He sighed again, and turned to his brother.  
  
"I cannot, Barry. I thank you for trying, but I cannot. I will go." Jeff turned towards the door. As he began to walk forward, using his scepter as a walking stick, he heard the sound of sudden movement behind him, and then felt a blow come down on his head. All went black.  
  
The stick made a sharp crack as Barry brought it down on Jeff's head.  
  
"I'm sorry brother. This is for your own good." Then he smiled, a wicked, evil smile, and began to cackle like a maniac.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Juno watched as a large figure appeared out of the lead ship. It looked to be a giant grasshopper. The thing made its way over to the royal hut, and then said in a rasping voice,  
  
"Have you made your decision?"  
  
It was obviously the leader. After these words, a Tribal stepped from the tent. Barry.   
  
"We have," he said. There was a smile on his face, a crazy smile. Insane. "I will go."  
  
The grasshopper through back its head and made a quick, repeating rasping sound. Juno took this to be laughter. He had to do something.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Barry and the grasshopper swiveled their heads sharply as they heard the sounds of gunfire. They're eyes focused on Juno, running full speed down to the village, his pistol firing madly. He was shouting at the top of his lungs, and picking off Drones one by one. The Drones were slow to react, but not the Tribals. When the Drones were distracted by Juno, the Tribals took the opportunity to fight back.  
  
They jumped on the Drones, clawed and bit at them. Drones screamed. The Tribals mobbed the larger beetle Drones. They went down with about ten Tribals hanging to them. It wasn't hard for Juno to make his way through the chaos to the center of the village. It was there that he finally stopped running.  
  
"Give up Barry. You won't get away with this."  
  
"Oh?" said the Tribal, still wearing his crazy smile. "We'll see about that. Get him!"  
  
The grasshopper leapt forward, and delivered a kick to Juno's chest before he could react. Juno had the wind knocked out of him, and lay on the ground gasping for breath. The grasshopper's eyes began to glow, preparing to finish off Juno.   
  
Suddenly, the grasshopper's eyes returned to normal. It slowly backed away from Juno, its gaze focused on something behind Gemini's leader.  
  
Juno slowly pushed himself up on his arms, and craned his neck behind him to see what was there. His gaze fell upon Vela and Nova, Tri-rockets aimed at the grasshopper's head. The two were strangely silent despite the noise all around them. But despite the absence of sound, or perhaps because of it, one could easily distinguish this area as the center of the action.  
  
Juno climbed to his feet, surveying the events around him. It was apparent that the Tribals could not win the fight, although they put up a good effort. The battle would have to be finished here. Cut of the snake's head and the body dies. He turned slowly to Barry. The Tribal didn't look all that threatening, but he was different somehow. Wild, crazy; evil.   
  
"Barry of House Arkemerent, brother to King Jeff of Goldwood of House Arkemerent, I place you under arrest for… well, all the shit you caused. Call off the troops."  
  
Barry looked at him, smiling smugly. The wild look was still there, if a little diluted.   
  
"Kiss my furry ass."  
  
Juno didn't have much time to be surprised by this comment before the grasshopper once again leapt into action, as if suddenly activated by Barry's last comment. The oversized bug once again knocked the wind from Juno's body as it delivered as kick to his chest. Juno fell to the ground gasping. The bug turned its attentions to the others.  
  
  
Nova swung his weapon about at the same time as Vela, letting a trio of rockets fly. Both of their blasts hit harmless earth as the bug leapt again. The two dove out of the way of the swiftly descending creature, each rolling in a different direction. The bug went after Nova first. As he was getting up, the grasshopper came down on his head, slamming his skull against the ground and knocking him senseless. Vela had just had time to climb to her feet before the creature switched his attacks to her.  
  
She jumped backwards as it came down where she had stood. She fired off her rockets, but the thing had already moved. She couldn't hope to keep up with something this fast- she needed Homing Missiles. She reached desperately into her suit, but as her hand closed around the weapon, the bug slammed into her. She flew backwards and hit the ground hard. The grasshopper's eyes began to glow. But once again, it was robbed of the kill.  
  
"Hey, ugly!" came the cry from behind the creature's bulk. It turned to meet Nova, who had managed to get to his feet. He attempted to wave his gun menacingly, but failed miserably.   
  
"I'm not dead yet! Bring it on!"  
  
The bug leapt for Nova in its standard method of attack. Nova practically flopped to the side, but it didn't matter. As their adversary came down, it failed to notice the land mines planted where Nova had just stood. An explosion blew it backwards, and it slammed to the ground.  
  
Vela stumbled to her feet, and then to the downed insect. It was twitching on the ground, and most of its powerful legs had been blown off. It no longer posed any threat. She felt a hand placed on her shoulder as Nova came up behind her.  
  
"A bee without its stinger. It's helpless now." Vela turned to face him, this man who she had only recently met, but found herself strangely in love with.  
  
"You saved my life," she said. Nova gazed into her eyes, twin pools of blue.  
  
"I was just repaying-" He was cut off as Vela forcefully planted her lips against his.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Juno groaned as he got to his feet. It was official. This day sucked.   
  
He turned to view the ensuing panic. The drones were apparently disheartened after seeing their leader blown to bits. They were retreating, but that didn't stop the little furry cannonballs that were still after them.   
  
Then Juno realized Barry was missing. He must have escaped into the crowd during the battle. He wouldn't easily be spotted in the mass of fur, so Juno had another plan. He ran towards the largest of the Drone vessels, passing Nova and Vela as he went. He didn't bother them, this wouldn't take much effort.  
  
As he neared the ship, its engines roared to life. He was too late- Barry was taking off. Juno ran as fast as his legs would carry him, and was suddenly aware of the third member of Jet Force Gemini running down near his feet. Lupus let out a howl, and ran ahead of Juno towards the ship.   
  
As the vessel cleared the ground, Lupus leapt into the air. He slammed into the side of the ship, and dug his claws deep into its side. The ship swung back and forth, attempting to knock Lupus off, but the dog would not be moved. His weight alone prevented the ship from reaching the atmosphere. Suddenly, the ship dropped to the ground. Its engines went dead, and its systems went off. Lupus still clung to the side.   
  
/Why did the ship land?/ thought Juno. Surely Lupus couldn't have put it that much off balance. Then he realized it.  
  
"Lupus, get off the ship!" He yelled at his dog, but it was too late. An electric current surged through the Drone ship, blasting Lupus back, and frying the big dog. An EMP: Electromagnetic Pulse. The ship roared to life once more and lifted off. Juno ignored it, however, as his dog was lying gravely injured on the ground.  
  
He ran over and knelt beside the dog's body. Lupus was whining faintly. His fur was blackened from the shock. Perhaps he or Vela could have survived it, but Lupus' body was too small. Tears rolled down Juno's face as Lupus slowly quit whining. His breathing stopped.  
  
Lupus was dead.  
  
  
  
  
  
Don't worry about the dog, I have a lot more surprises in store for you then you could guess. And don't complain about the EMP, I don't care. 


	5. --Interlude--

Review this or I will hunt you down and kill you. Seriously, I'm one of those people who needs to be told they're doing a good job. And you wouldn't want to hurt my feelings, would you? Would you? Well, anyway, enjoy.  
  
  
  
  
  
Juno walked slowly back to the center of the village. The "place of peace" had become a smoldering wreck. Tribal and Drone bodies littered the ground. There were Tribals tending the wounded, and others crying over the bodies of loved ones. Juno might have been doing the same, if his mind were not so disoriented.  
  
As he reached the center, he stopped. Jeff was there, rubbing his head. Vela and Nova were talking softly. All motion stopped when they saw what Juno had in his hands.  
  
"Oh my God…" said Vela in a barely audible voice. She began to softly cry, and Nova held her close against him, although he was close to tears himself. Jeff just stood and watched sadly. The King of Tribals had been through a lot more than any of them. He had witnessed such moments many times before.  
  
"Put him down, Juno," Jeff said softly.  
  
"No," said Juno, in an even softer voice. "If… if I do, I… I'm afraid I won't be able to pick him up again."  
  
A few minutes later, after they had recovered somewhat, they began to talk.   
  
"Where's Castor?" Juno asked, breaking the long silence.  
  
"He stayed behind to guard the evil bitch," answered Nova. "We couldn't very well have brought her here."  
  
"Point taken. But 'evil bitch?'"  
  
"She won't even tell us her name. Hence, evil bitch."  
  
"Ah."  
  
"Stop avoiding it!" Jeff snapped. All eyes turned to him, the King who was half the size of the rest of them.  
  
"You must go after my brother."  
  
"You're right," said Juno dejectedly. "We will leave as soon as possible. But tell me, Jeff- why was Barry acting so different?"  
  
"Yeah!" said Vela, jumping in. "Before, he was a kind, sweet Tribal like yourself, and then he was like a crazed madman! Did you see the look in his eyes?"  
  
"Well, I was unconscious for the majority of the time."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"It's almost as if…" Nova started, and was finished by Jeff:  
  
"…He had a split personality."   
  
"How did you…?" Nova began.  
  
"I've known about it for a while now. Barry was jealous of my being King, and him always being second best. He developed a split personality. One was Barry, the kind Tribal you knew. What you just saw was not Barry; it was Mizar. Two separate people living in the same body."  
  
"Well, that explains a lot," said Juno. He looked at the rest of them. "Due to this new development, we know Barry is not responsible for his actions. When we get up there, we will subdue him at all costs, but only kill him if we have no other choice. Are we all agreed?"  
  
The rest slowly nodded their heads, grudginly agreeing to Juno's half-orders, half-request.  
  
"Then let's go."  
  
"Wait!" called Jeff, as they turned to leave. "I'm coming with you."  
  
"Jeff… this is hardly-" Juno began.  
  
"He is my brother. I am the only family he has left. I am coming, whether you like it or not."  
  
Juno sighed deeply.  
  
"Alright. You're right, Jeff." He looked around at the others in the group. They had determine etched across their faces. They were ready.  
  
"Let's get up there and kick his furry little ass."  
  
  
  
  
Okay, maybe the end line wasn't as good as I'd thought. Stay tuned for more.  
  
  
  



	6. 

Here we go again! As always, all the characters except ones I made up belong to Rare. I'm not making money, don't sue, etc. Enjoy!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The Gemini team was nearing the target. The gargantuan Spawnship loomed before them, and they were ready to begin their assault. But it was different. This time they were going to succeed- one way or another.  
  
The four remaining Jet force members were at their respective places on the bridge. Juno sat in his chair in the center. Castor stood near Juno with his gun to the "evil bitch's" head. Jeff stood to the side of Juno's chair. Vela sat at her computer, carefully watching the monitor. Nova had taken Lupus' place at the IWD. Cassandra and the crew of Jet Force Libra were down in the sick bay, recovering from their injuries. All present and accounted for.   
  
Juno stopped the ship just outside the Spawnship's sensor range, and stood up. He turned to address his crew.  
  
"This is it. We're going to end this once and for all. Castor, are you going to stay behind to watch her?"  
  
"I suppose I will. Someone has to."  
  
"Good. Now." He turned to the rest of them- only three others besides himself, and only two of those members of Jet Force. Not good odds. "This mission is what they would call suicide at HQ. I don't expect to return from it. I won't order you to throw away your lives, especially not Nova, since I have no power over him."  
  
"I'll go wherever you tell me, Juno," Nova replied. Juno smiled weakly.  
  
"Thank you, Nova. Now. Jeff. You don't have Jet Force training, and you don't have any weapons. Are you sure of this?"  
  
"I have more weapons than you think, Juno. I'm going."  
  
"Alright. Vela?"  
  
"Do you have to ask, Juno? There's no way I'd let you have all the fun."  
  
"I'm not sure how fun this will be." Juno turned towards Castor.  
  
"It's been nice knowing you, Castor. Maybe I'll survive, who knows?"  
  
Castor was overcome with emotion, part anger that he wasn't going, part sadness that the rest were. He was unable to speak. Instead, he snapped his right hand up into a salute. He tried to stop the tears welling up in his eyes as Juno saluted him back. Technically, Juno and Castor were the same rank, but Castor, and possibly any member of the special forces, would defer to Juno.   
  
Nova stepped up beside Juno and faced Castor grimly. Vela and Jeff also took their places. With a final nod to Castor, Juno and his group departed.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Castor watched as the three small vessels left the ship. He failed to notice that the "evil bitch" was moving around. He did notice, however, when she wrapped her hands around his neck.  
  
Castor struggled to get free, swinging her back and forth. He stopped trying to pry her hands free and swung down sharply. She flew over his head and hit the floor, which was much harder than grass. She crawled forward, and jumped up next to the control console.   
  
"Don't move!" she warned Castor, who was pointing his gun at her. "Don't move or I'll bring this into Spawnship sensor range!"  
  
"Move this ship and I'll blow your head off," he replied.  
  
"My death is meaningless, as long as Lord Mizar lives."  
  
It was a standoff. Neither of the two dared to move. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, someone moved. And it wasn't Castor.   
  
She slammed the controls, and the ship jerked forward. Castor fired a shot into her head, killing her almost instantly, but it was too late. Sirens went off as the Spawnship acquired the target. Castor looked out the window, letting his gun drop to his side. It was too late to do anything, now.  
  
"Sorry, Juno," he whispered. "Guess I won't see you again after all. It's been nice knowing you."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Outside, the other four watched with horror as Gemini lurched forward, and were mortified when the Spawnship fired. The first shot crippled the ship, and the second shot destroyed it. Gemini became a ball of fire as it exploded.  
  
"No," Juno said. "No. No! NO!"  
  
But it was too bad, because in space, no one could hear him.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Dun dun DUN! Ooo, scary. What will happen to our heros next? Saty tuned for the next exciting edition of...  
  
Counterstrike!  



	7. Mizar

As per usaul, none of this stuff belongs to me except stuff I made up. I'm not making a penny. Enjoy.  
  
  
  
  
The bridge of the Spawnship was in chaos. Drones rushed around, hurrying to go about their various tasks. The assault on the Spawnship had begun.  
  
In the center of the commotion stood Barry, looking angrily at his troops. A stag drone approached him, and saluted.  
  
"Lord Barry-" he began.  
  
"I am not Barry!" yelled Barry, cutting off the drone. "I am Mizar!"  
  
"Lord Mizar…" the drone ventured, not wishing to incur Barry's wrath further.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Jet Force has taken sector 5-B. They're holed up in a storage room there. We can't get through the door without being shot."  
  
"Then blow them up."  
  
"It's not that simple. 5-B is near the main drone production plants. That room is storing large amounts of Quaximine. If we were to use explosives, the results could be disastrous. At best, the gas would leak, and kill most of the drones before it was cut off. And then we wouldn't be able to reach that sector at all. At worst-"  
  
"No need to elaborate. I get the point."  
  
"What should we do, sir?"  
  
"I'll handle this myself."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Juno was firing madly at the drones attempting to rush them. They couldn't fit through the door, but Juno was running low on ammo. They couldn't hold them off for long. He called to Jeff.  
  
"Jef, where are we, and what do we have?"  
  
"We seem to be in some sort of storage room."  
  
The Tribal king had amazingly kept a cool head throughout the battle, and had managed to keep them alive. It turned out Jeff was more of an asset then previously thought- his scepter delivered as much damage as their guns. But now he was tired, and had begun to search the area.  
  
"Is there ammo?"  
  
"Yes, some, but not much. And these purple containers."  
  
"Purple containers?" he asked, as he picked off another drone.  
  
"Yes. I can't read the writing, blast my eyes."  
  
"Nova, check it out!"  
  
Nova abandoned his position and ran over to where Jeff stood examining the containers. One look at the label told him all he needed to know.  
  
"Holy God, it's Quaximine!"  
  
"Shit!" yelled Juno. He nearly dropped his gun.  
  
Quaximine was not your average chemical. It had very violent properties, and was extremely hazardous to health. It was very poisonous- if you even smelled it, you were as good as dead. And it was very, very, flammable. It was used mostly for synthetic purposes, like drone production, but for various reasons, its use wasn't widespread. Besides being dangerous, the only place it actually worked was in zero-g. On earth it wasn't worth beans, except maybe to the odd terrorist. And since the four were in a room that had about six containers of it, they were very afraid.  
  
"We need to get out of here!" Juno yelled.  
  
"How?" cried Vela. "We can't just walk out!"  
  
"Caught between a rock and a hard place," said Jeff calmly.  
  
"Jeff," said Juno, thinking quickly. "If those Drones get through the door, you light that stuff on fire. Take a good lot of them with us."  
  
Suddenly, they felt a rumbling sound. The Drones stopped attacking, and moved away from the door. Vela shot Juno a questioning look, which he shot right back at her. Nobody knew what was going on. Then, there was a large crashing sound as a large hole was knocked in the wall. The four jumped back, shielding their heads with their arms. When they looked again, they gasped at the sight that stood before them.  
  
Mizar.  
  
They stood dumbfounded as the immense insect stepped into the room. They knew it to be Barry, but the thought never entered their head. Only after a great effort had Mizar been defeated the first time, and from the looks of it, this one was stronger.   
  
Mizar leapt into action immediately, flying forward towards the group. He stopped just short of them, and crashed through the floor. The group fell through the gaping hole left by Mizar into the room directly beneath the one they had just occupied. They hit the ground hard, and were momentarily stunned.  
  
Juno questioned the actions of their adversary for a brief second, and then realized his intentions: He had successfully gotten them away from the Quaximine, and hurt them in the process. Smart.  
  
He struggled to his feet, and so did those around him. Jeff ran off to the side, not wishing to interfere with this. Mizar opened his mouth, and his green breath came forth. He sprayed it between them, successfully, separating Juno from the rest. He swiveled his head and forced Juno even further away. He then cut off the spray of deadly breath, and turned to other means of attack. He slammed his claw to the ground, and a shock wave rippled from it. Vela and Nova successfully cleared the hurdle, but Juno was not so lucky. He caught it full in the chest, and was knocked back into the wall. He slumped to the ground. Mizar turned to the others. He raised his right claw- the purely mechanical one- and let pure electricity spring forth. Nova leapt to the side, but Vela was unable to avoid the attack. She was trapped inside the sphere of energy. She felt her energy draining away, and let out a loud scream. When Mizar finally cut off the attack, Vela fell to the ground.  
  
Nova got to his feet. He saw Vela fall to the ground, and then saw Mizar bring both of his claws to his midsection. He cupped them, and a glow appeared between them. It was obviously a new technique, because Juno had reported no such attacks before. With a start, Nova realized that Mizar was preparing to kill Vela. Nova didn't think- he ran. He jumped at the last second, and took Mizar's attack right in the chest. White hot pain lanced through him, and he was blasted backwards into the wall. He slumped to the ground. He felt life leaving him. His last thoughts were, /Goodbye, Vela./  
  
Mizar turned from his subdued adversaries to Jeff, who stood in the corner of the room.  
  
"How could you do this, Barry?" Jeff asked his brother, who he knew to be at the heart of the mechanical fiend.  
  
"I am not Barry!" Mizar yelled.   
  
"Yes you are!" Jeff yelled back at him. "You are, and always will be, my brother."  
  
"NO!" Mizar screamed. "I am Mizar! I AM MIZAR!" He raised his claws. "Now die!"  
  
"You bastard!" came a voice from behind him. Mizar dropped his claws, and turned. Facing him was a rather subdued Vela. "You killed him!" Tears ran down the woman's cheeks. The once strong member of Jet Force Gemini was now a weak girl. Mizar laughed.  
  
"Foolish woman!" he said. "Don't you realize it's over? I've won!"  
  
"The hell you have!"  
  
Mizar frowned down at her. He reached down his claw with lightning speed, and grabbed her around the middle. He lifted her into the air, and brought her close to his face.   
  
"What were you saying?" he asked.  
  
"I said," she answered, pulling open her jacket, revealing a large amount of explosives. "the hell you are."  
  
What followed was a rather large explosion.  
  
  
  
And then there were two. I leave you with this, curtesy Enya. Well, not really curtesy, I'm just using it. It belongs to Enya, there. I think it's kind of appropriate.  
  
Who can say   
where the road goes  
where the day flows  
-only time  
And who can say  
if your love grows  
as your heart chose  
-only time  
  
Who can say  
why your heart sighs  
as your love flies  
-only time  
And who can say  
why you heart cries  
when your love flies  
-only time  
  
Who can say  
when the roads meet  
that love might be  
in your heart  
And who can say   
when the day sleeps  
if the night keeps  
all your heart  
  
Night keeps all your heart  
  
Who can say  
if your love grows  
as your heart chose  
-only time  
And who can say   
where the road goes  
where the day flows  
-only time  
  
Who knows- only time  
Who knows- only time  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	8. Juno

Here we go again. It just gets sadder, don't it? None of this belongs to me, except that which I created, and if you can't distinguish the difference, get out of here. Please r&r. (can't believe I just said that) Enjoy.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Juno was stunned. Too stunned to speak. Too stunned to weep. Too stunned to express any emotion. Too stunned to do anything.   
  
He had just witnessed the deaths of his sister and his friend at the hands of Mizar.   
  
Mizar, the tyrant who enslaved a race. Mizar, the alternate personality of the gentle Tribal Barry. Mizar the killer. Mizar the destroyer. All apt descriptions, but none saying all that he truly was: a monster.   
  
Juno's eyes followed Jeff as he approached the form of his brother. Barry had dragged himself from the wreckage only to collapse. But was it Barry? A Tribal asking forgiveness? Or was it Mizar, still seeking to destroy his enemies once and for all? It didn't matter. He was doomed forever by his actions, despite his condition.  
  
Jeff laid his scepter on the floor beside Barry, and then grabbed his brother's shoulders. He pulled him up to his knees and looked into his face. A calm face, not crazy or angry or insane- Barry's face, not Mizar's.  
  
"Why, brother?" Jeff asked quietly. "Why this?"  
  
Barry smiled a weak smile.  
  
"Because I had to, Jeff," he answered. "There was no other way. No way. I can't control it. It… it controls me. I am dangerous. A menace. Kill me, Jeff. Kill me and end this pain forever."  
  
"I cannot," Jeff said sadly. "Despite what you may have done, despite what you are, you are, and always will be, my brother. My little brother. I cannot kill you."  
  
/No,/ Juno thought. /No, this is wrong./  
  
Jeff picked up his scepter and turned his back on his kneeling brother. He began to walk towards where Juno sat propped against the wall. Juno watched Barry behind Jeff. The Tribal King's brother looked at floor, as if hoping that the answer to his problems could be found within.  
  
Juno didn't know what Barry had found there, in the dark recesses of his destroyed mind, but he found something- something that told him what he had to do. He raised his small head, and smiled. An evil, crazy smile. And this time, it was Mizar's smile.  
  
Juno watched stunned as Barry reached behind his back and pulled free a curved dagger, as Jeff walked on obliviously. Barry rose to his feet, and began to half run, half limp towards his brother.  
  
"J-Jeff…" Juno rasped. "B-barry…"  
  
Jeff's expression became puzzled. He stopped, and began to turn to where he had left his brother. He swung around to face Barry as he plunged the curved blade into Jeff's chest. Jeff looked down at the dagger, and the fur now matted with red Tribal blood.  
  
"B-brother…" he stammered, attempting to form words with his mouth, which now seemed to have stopped working.   
  
Jeff raised his scepter, which began to glow. With incredible force, he brought it down on the head of his brother, not actually striking him, but stopping just short. The air at their feet began to swirl, picking up speed and rising to cover their bodies. The air blurred, and then with a blinding flash of light, it all stopped. Where the royal brothers had been now stood a swirled crystal, marking the final resting place of Jeff and Barry.  
  
Juno rose to his feet, still stunned. His mind was able to form a few thoughts, grabbing bits and pieces form the swirling mess of his head. He knew that he was the only one left. He knew that all the rest were dead. His dog, his sister, Nova, Jeff, Castor, Cassandra… all dead. He had to end it all. He had to make it right. But first, he had to do something here. Something to honor these people. He didn't have a trumpet, nor did he know Taps, but he knew how to do one thing. One song that he knew from Church so many years ago. And so, as tears ran down his blackened face, he began to sing.  
  
"Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound…"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Juno stood in the corridor, his back to the wall, standing next to the final leg of his journey. In the adjoining hall was the path to the core, and the end of this mission. The end of it all.  
  
In his hands were two Tri-rocket launchers, one his own, and one taken off Nova's body. Had Vela's been intact, he would be wielding three, but he had to make due. He had battled his way through the ship to the core, although it wasn't much of a battle. The drones didn't have much spirit left, while he, on the other hand, had plenty of it. But what he didn't have was stamina. He was exhausted completely. He barely had strength to stand, and he had no idea how he would finish it.  
  
Thoughts filled his head. Thoughts of his dead sister, his dog, Nova. His chest slowly stopped heaving up and down. He felt a calm come over him. And he felt the strength. He felt able to finish it.   
  
All the drones that could fit in the adjoining rooms were making a living shield in front of the core. It wasn't good odds, but he knew he could do it. The chances of survival were even slimmer, but he didn't much care about that. He could do it. He took a deep breath, raised his guns, and turned.  
  
Juno ran, squeezing each trigger one after the other. He fired the deadly projectiles into the oncoming mass, but when one went down, another was there to replace it. He took a shot in the shoulder, but he didn't feel it. He took a shot in the leg, but he didn't feel it. He felt no pain. He fired again and again in vain, desperately trying to hit the core, but it was impossible. There were too many. Again he took a hit. Didn't matter where, he couldn't feel it. The drones began to thin, but it wasn't enough. Juno felt his strength going as he took another hit. Distant senses of pain echoed through his mind. He wasn't going to make it. Another hit. He squeezed a trigger, but nothing happened. The gun slipped form his fingers. He stumbled, began to fall. With his last strength, he squeezed the other trigger.  
  
The rockets flew. One slammed into a wall, as Juno hadn't been aiming. One hit a drone, blowing it apart. The third flew towards the seething mass of insects. It was almost certain to hit one of them, but it didn't. A gap, somehow not filled. The rocket passed through it. Finding no further obstructions, it continued it's course to the core.  
  
White enveloped Juno.   
  
  
  
  
I'm mad. It's getting so short, but I can't put in the last chapter yet. Makes me mad. Well, that's not the end of this anyway, I have one more thing for you. I don't know who wrote it, all I know is it's appropriate.  
  
  
  
Amazing Grace how sweet the sound,  
that saved a wretch like me,  
I once was lost, but know am found,  
was blind, but know I see.  
  
Twas Grace that taught my heart to fear,  
and Grace my fears relieved,  
how precious did that Grace appear,  
the hour I first believed.  
  
Through many dangers, toils, and snares,  
I have already come,  
twas Grace that kept me safe thus far,  
and Grace will lead me home.  
  
The Lord has promised good to me,  
his word my hope secures,  
he will my shield and portion be,  
as long as life endures.  
  
And when this flesh and heart shall fail,   
and mortal life shall cease,  
I will posess within the vail,  
a life of joy and peace.  
  
When we've been here ten thousand years,  
bright shining as the sun,  
we've no less days to sing God's praise,  
then when we'd first begun.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	9. Return

Here it is, the last chapter. None of this belongs to me, and I'm not making a cent. Enjoy.  
  
  
  
  
Juno opened is eyes. All around him was white. There were no Drones, no Spawnship; no scenery of any kind. It was a plane of white that stretched on to infinity.   
  
He realized he was sprawled on the ground, and attempted to sit up. He was met with difficulty, for it seemed all his limbs had been nailed down. He couldn't move even the slightest fraction. Having no way to explore his surroundings, he was left to his thoughts.  
  
/Am I dead?/ he asked himself. /No,/ he answered. This was no Heaven. But then where was he? He thought back to the events that had brought him here. It was all quite hazy, and the last thing he truly remembered was Jeff and Barry killing each other. Then there was something about him running through the ship, and a large explosion. But why was he here? And why couldn't he move?  
  
JUNO!  
  
/What was that?/ he thought. He had heard it, but he hadn't. Some form of telepathy, perhaps.  
  
DO YOU WISH TO LIVE AGAIN, JUNO?  
  
Perhaps this was Heaven after all. But then why was he being asked if he wished to live? He found out he could move his mouth, and answered the voice in his head.  
  
"Am I dead?"  
  
Juno heard laughter in his head.  
  
NOT QUITE.   
  
Well, know he knew one more thing. He decided to probe this being.  
  
"Where am I?"  
  
YOU ARE BETWEEN TIME AND SPACE, CAUGHT BETWEEN THE FABRIC OF THE UNIVERSE.  
  
That was something.  
  
"How did I get here?"  
  
I BROUGHT YOU HERE.  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
I AM THE ONE WHO KEEPS TIME AND SPACE FROM COLLAPSING ON EACH OTHER.  
  
"Do you have a name?"  
  
YOU MAY CALL ME KROHNOS.  
  
"Okay… Krohnos, why have you brought me here?"  
  
I HAVE MY REASONS. WHEN THE SHIP EXPLODED, I BROUGHT YOU HERE RATEHR THEN LETTING YOU GO TO THE AFTERLIFE.  
  
So in a way, he was dead. But that brought up an interesting question: Krohnos had said afterlife, not Heaven. But Juno hadn't been that bad, had he?  
  
SO, JUNO. DO YOU WISH TO LIVE AGAIN?  
  
"Yes. Of course I do." A thought occurred to him. "Wait, what about the others? Where are they?"  
  
THEY ARE ALL HERE SOMEWHERE. BUT WHY SHOULD I LET YOU LIVE AGAIN, JUNO? YOU FAILED YOUR FRIENDS.  
  
"What are you talking about?!" Juno raged. "I failed them?! How do I fail someone by warning them? How do I fail someone if they sacrifice themselves? How do I fail someone who makes a mistake, while I'm already gone? Tell me that!"  
  
Juno again heard laughter in the voice, and realized he had been manipulated. He cursed himself silently.  
  
YOU ARE CORRECT, JUNO. YOU FAILED NO ONE. YOU ARE INDEED COURAGEOUS.  
  
"Wait, what about everyone else? If you bring me back to life, what will happen to them?"  
  
Laughter again.  
  
THEY ARE ALREADY AMONG THE LIVING, JUNO. YOU ARE THE LAST ONE LEFT.  
  
"Oh," was all he could say.  
  
NOW LIVE, JUNO.  
  
Juno closed his eyes…  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
… and opened them again. He was on Goldwood, lying in the middle of the village. This time, he could move, but not without pain. Slowly, he sat up, rubbing his throbbing skull. Tribals milled around him, oblivious to the fact that a man had just appeared in their midst. He climbed to his feet, and sought out Jeff's royal hut.  
  
Upon reaching it, he heard voices coming from inside. They were familiar voices, voices he had thought he would never hear again. He pulled back the curtain and walked inside. There in front of him were all those faces he had believed to be gone. Jeff stood near the center, looking into the fire. Nova and Vela stood in off to the side holding hands. Lupus stood at their feet, whining. Castor was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed across his chest. The group looked up to face Juno.  
  
"Juno…" began Vela, in a whisper. "I thought… I thought you…"  
  
Tears came to Juno's eyes, and his legs buckled. Vela rushed over and caught him before he fell, and he held his sister in a long embrace.  
  
"I'm back," he said. "We're all back."  
  
  
  
  
Epilogue  
  
  
  
And so ends the story. Jeff continued in his role as Tribal King, although Barry was not returned to the living. Jeff's brother was too dangerous to be left alive, but his memory was to be held as sacred and infamous in Tribal history forever. Castor, along with the whole crew of Jet Force Libra, received special commendations from Jet Force Command. He continues to be as reckless and careless as ever. Jet Force Leo also received commendations. Lupus remains faithful as ever, always by Juno's side. Juno was offered countless promotions by Command, but turned down every one. He remains leader of Jet Force Gemini, which received special commendations, as well as a new ship. And Nova and Vela? They have no serious plans as of yet, but who can say what the future holds?  
  
  
  
  
And so, it is finaly finished. No song this time, but you'll be fine without one, I assure you. My thanks to all who stuck with me through this.  
  
  
  
  
In Memory of Douglas Adams, who showed us all how screwed up the idea of time travel really is.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
